Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis has named Ameren chairman and CEO Warner Baxter and St. Louis volunteer Carol Voss as Variety’s 2017 Man and Woman of the Year. Each year Variety honors one man and one woman who play an active role in shaping the St. Louis community for the better. The list of winners is a veritable Who’s Who of St. Louis.

Carol is a St. Louis native who has supported Variety and many civic and arts organizations for decades. Carol and her husband, Tom Voss, proudly co-chaired STL-250, the yearlong program to celebrate St. Louis’ 1764 founding.

Carol taught English and religion at both the high school and elementary school level in both public and private St. Louis area schools. Since retiring from teaching, Carol has been writing amazing chapters in the continuing story of St. Louis.

At present, Carol is a member of the Arts and Education Council’s Board of Directors. But that hardly begins to detail her involvement in civic and cultural institutions throughout the region. The arts are truly her passion.

She was involved in the capital campaign to build a $4 million facility for the South Side Early Childhood Center. She’s chaired events to benefit, among others, the American Civil Liberties Union, Black Repertory Theatre, Chamber Music Society, Circus Flora, Dance St. Louis, Doorways Housing, Gateway Homeless Shelter, NAACP of St. Louis, Opera Theatre, Press Club of St. Louis, St. Louis Ballet and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Carol was once quoted saying, “I’m really impressed with organizations finding clever ways to bring the arts to children and engage them.” So it’s no surprise she’s a generous supporter, and dedicated advocate, of the work Variety does. “Seeing the kids and the smiles on their faces makes our involvement with Variety all worthwhile,” she says.

Carol’s Variety Woman of the Year award in 2017 joins the “Variety Man of the Year” award her husband received in 2014, another example of a power couple working together to support Variety’s mission of helping children with special needs.

Carol and her husband, Tom, have three children and four grandchildren.

Our 2017 Man of the Year is another St. Louis powerhouse. Warner Baxter is chairman, president and chief executive officer of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. During his more than 20-year tenure at Ameren, Baxter has also served in a variety of leadership roles, including chief financial officer and president of Ameren Missouri.

Baxter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and has made meaningful and long-lasting contributions to higher education through his involvement with the University of Missouri System. He is a member of the University of Missouri–St. Louis Chancellors Council and serves on the University of Missouri 100 Board.

Today, Baxter is a member of the board of directors of the Edison Electric Institute, is vice chair for the Electric Power Research Institute and serves on the management committee of The Edison Foundation's Institute for Electric Innovation. He is board chair of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and sits on the executive committee of Civic Progress St. Louis. Baxter also serves on the board of U.S. Bancorp. Additional boards he serves include Barnes Jewish Hospital and The Muny.

He also is actively involved with several charitable organizations, including serving as council member of the American Cancer Society’s Coaches vs. Cancer National Board and as chair of the St. Louis Chapter of CEOs Against Cancer of Missouri.

A native of St. Louis, Warner and his wife, Cindy, have four children.